What no wellies…?

I haven’t done a Friday Rant from the Soap Box in MY own living room for ages, but I have brought it back, because sometimes it’s good to get things off my chest, and it’s cleansing and therapeutic. It makes me feel better, and it’s Friday, it’s my blog, and I will rant if I want to…;)

This week’s rant? 

Wellies (and you have to be careful how to type that, because for some reason the autocorrect on my computer likes to correct it to another word, I am sure you can guess what, and we can’t have THAT sort of thing on a family blog now, can we?)

(stock image)

Yes, my blog rant this week is about the humble wellington boot, or rather, the lack of them in the shops, right now. 

Let me explain. 

My tweenager is going camping this weekend, and as part of her kit, she needs wellington boots. She’s going to be stomping about in mud, and dirt, and of course, it’s the bank holiday weekend, and it’s the UK, so it’s highly likely it will rain, so she needs to keep her feet dry. She tried on her current pair of boots, and of course, they are too small (she keeps growing, I must stop feeding her, she will be taller than me soon!) so on my list of things to buy this week, were a new pair for her. 

Simples right?

Nope. Because apparently, come spring in this country, shops where you normally would expect to be able to buy a common thing, wellington boots, have stopped selling them. Why? Because apparently at the end of April, we don’t need wellington boots any more, the rain stops and we have so much sunshine and lovely weather, and no one needs boots, until the deepest gloom of autumn and winter arrive, in a few months. 

We live in the UK. It rains a lot, all year. We don’t have months and months of dry weather, where flip flops, sun hats and shorts are all we need. Apparently the retail sector has decided that, however, I can buy any kind of bikini I want, all the shelves in all the shops are loaded with sun screen and bug spray, but can I find a pair of size 5 wellington boots for my tweenager? Not a chance! Well, I can, but they would be designer ones, at a ridiculous price, and at the rate she is growing, there’s no way I am forking out £5o for a pair of wellington boots she won’t fit into in three months time (before winter when she might actually need them again)

Madness, I tell you. Once again, common sense has failed, and I have had to order her a pair online, pay extra for speedy delivery, and pray they arrive on time. 

Seriously, if someone in the fashion or retail industry can tell me why they think that we don’t need waterproof boots from April – September, I would love to hear from them…?

I am off to stalk the postman, bearing a package, hopefully of wellington boots, and to pack what seems like half a house, for her impending camping trip. Come back next week, to find out what I am chuntering about. Feel free to share your own weekly rant in the comments!